There is good reason Palm Springs has its own Hollywood-style Walk of Stars. Having lured over the decades the likes of everyone from Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and Elvis to Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, this desert oasis is nothing short of a movie set, with 350 days of sunshine, palm tree-lined streets and a backdrop of the San Jacinto Mountains.
“I think the ambience is memorable,” says Robert Enriquez, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Palm Springs Desert Resorts Convention and Visitors Authority (CVA). “What we like to push is the abundance of outdoor activities, venues, our unique setting as a destination—the mountains, sunsets, sunrises, impeccably manicured resorts. There is a sense you can actually sit back and take a deep breath and exhale while you are here.”
Palm Springs also knows how to roll out the red carpet, from the star-studded Palm Springs International Film Festival to world-class restaurants, luxury spas and resort hotels, as well as 115 golf courses and more than 600 tennis courses. Groups are also catered to at every turn.
“We can adhere to their meeting needs and sleeping needs,” Enriquez says confidently of the community, home to over 16,000 rooms.
Meanwhile, a wealth of new developments is further polishing the region’s appeal for groups.
“We are basically trying to push the fact that with all this expansion and new product, there has never been a better time to visit the destination,” Enriquez says. “People come here and say they can’t believe the change taking place. It’s a destination reborn. Value is at an all-time high, and we want to share that. Hotels are working with groups who want to make the experience unique.”
There are other advantages within the Coachella Valley aside from the myriad meetings-ready resorts.
“To come to Palm Springs and only see its resorts is to miss half of its charm,” Enriquez says. “Coachella Valley is also a hotbed of cultural and entertainment venues, perfect for planners looking for an off-site option.”
There are eight distinct communities comprising the Palm Springs Desert Resorts: Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Rancho Mirage, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs and Cathedral City.
Palm Springs itself brims with opportunities for adventure, whether biking miles of maintained trails, exploring the desert on a Jeep tour or taking a stroll past myriad galleries on Palm Canyon Drive, which also hosts the Thursday evening Village Fest, featuring a diverse display of arts and crafts, a certified farmers’ market and live entertainment.
A highlight is the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway rising to the top of San Jacinto Peak.
“Temperatures can drop 10 to 15 degrees as you go from the desert to pine trees and mountains. That is an incredible experience,” Enriquez says.
Once there, groups can dine at the Pines Cafe, The Lookout Lounge or Peaks Restaurant, surrounded by mountain views. Groups can also hold meetings at the top or host team-building activities on the mountains.
On the cultural front, the Palm Springs Art Museum and Annenberg Theater each offer venue space for groups. The museum accommodates up to 500 people for receptions and 250 for sit-down meals, and the venue’s 433-seat theater is also available for group functions. The Palm Springs Air Museum is another option, with more than 50,000 square feet of function space.
Nearby is the 13,000-acre Coachella Valley Preserve, featuring hot springs, dunes, mesas and hiking trails.
Despite the floundering economy there are a few bright spots. The Palm Springs Convention Center, which can hold up to 11,000 attendees, is projected to bring in $41.6 million to the Palm Springs economy in 2009 to 2010, up from $24.9 million in the 2008 to 2009 fiscal year.
There are also a number of new hotel projects in Palm Springs, including the Riviera Resort & Spa, which opened in October after an estimated $70 million rejuvenation. The historic resort includes more than 30,000 square feet of flexible meeting space.
Holiday Inn Palm Springs City Center recently opened and features 229 guest rooms and more than 8,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space.
On the horizon, the Ace Hotel & Swim Club is slated to open this spring. The 4.5-acre property will offer 180 guest rooms, a private pool with 4,000 square feet of event space, a spa and a fitness room. Additionally, Hyatt Place is planning a 180-room hotel in Palm Springs, while the Marriott Residence Inn is planning a 126-room hotel.
Meanwhile, Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs is slated to open in 2010 in downtown Palm Springs, adjacent to the Palm Springs Convention Center. Plans for this $200 million, 494-room property include 35,000 square feet of ballroom and meeting space.
Mondrian Hotel & Condos, also to be located adjacent to the Palm Springs Convention Center, will include 200 guest rooms and 50 condo-hotel units when it opens in 2011. It will feature an 8,000-square-foot ballroom, meeting rooms and a spa.
Properties being renovated or which recently finished upgrades include Palm Canyon Resort and the Hilton Palm Springs Resort, as well as the Wyndham Hotel, which is also working on a $24 million renovation.
Groups also flock to upscale Indian Wells, featuring some of the valley’s top destination resorts. It also boasts the group-friendly Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, showcasing desert wildlife. Tennis buffs also know the area for the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, home to the Pacific Life Open Tennis Series held each March.
“We are the only Palm Springs Desert Resorts city that has three four-star resorts, and we’re centrally located,” says Nancy Samuelson, director of marketing and community relations for city of Indian Wells. “Groups can have everything at their facility and no need to leave if they don’t want to. They can do business by the pool.”
The destination’s principal properties include Miramonte Resort & Spa, Hyatt Grand Champions Resort, Villas & Spa, Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa, and Indian Wells Resort Hotel.
According to Samuelson, the sales team promotes the community’s myriad activities, including tennis, golf, hiking, biking, hot-air ballooning and dining.
Other cities have their specialties. Desert Hot Springs is home to twice as many spa resorts as any of the others, inspired by the natural, therapeutic mineral water that lends the city its name.
Desert Hot Springs Bella Monte is undergoing a complete renovation. There is also a new property in the works, the Flamingo Hotel & Spa Resort, slated to open in late spring. The property will feature 33 rooms, a wellness center and six mineral water pools.
What Desert Hot Springs is to spas, Rancho Mirage is to high-end luxury. Several U.S. presidents have vacationed here, and Gerald Ford was a frequent visitor who later bought a house.
Rancho Mirage resorts are well suited for high-end events and meetings, such as the Westin Mission Hills Rancho Mirage, which completed a $20 million room and exterior property renewal last fall.
One of the most anticipated upcoming projects is The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage, slated to open this fall. The $500 million, 40-acre property will encompass a 244-room resort; a 24,000-square-foot spa; an intimate wine bar; two signature pools; 18,000 square feet of indoor function space; more than 40,000 square feet of outdoor venues; a golf/tennis concierge; and a hiking butler overseeing more than 20 miles of hiking trails.
Cathedral City is an entertainment hub, featuring the Desert IMAX Theatre and the Mary Pickford Stadium 14 Cinemas. It also is home to the Big League Dreams Sports Park, replete with nostalgic replicas of Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium.
Cathedral City is also seeing property changes. Plans are in the works for a 300-room Sheraton Resort Hotel and Conference Center that will be linked to an 18-hole public golf course in the lower foothills of the Santa Rosa Mountains. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall.
Known as the “City of Festivals,” Indio offers golfing, gambling, shopping, polo and the Coachella Valley Music Festival. Indio’s Fantasy Springs Casino Resort is well suited to groups, while Empire Polo Grounds is available for team building and off-site luncheons.
Shoppers flock to Palm Desert’s El Paseo, the Rodeo Drive of Palm Springs. Tour company Desert Adventures is also based in Palm Desert and can set up events at the Desert Adventures’ Metate Canyon Ranch as well as organize team-building activities such as scavenger hunts.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will make its first entry into the Palm Springs market when it breaks ground on the Fairmont Avanterra in Palm Desert this year. The hotel is a part of the $2.5 billion master-planned community of Avanterra and will be located adjacent to the Classic Club golf course. The hotel development will offer 300 rooms and 125 Fairmont Residences, 26,000 square feet of indoor function space as well as outdoor event areas, and a 45,000-square-foot Willow Stream Spa. The resort is scheduled for completion in 2011.
Also in the works is a 127-room Homewood Suites by Hilton, slated to open this spring, and Hotel El Paseo, a 154-unit hotel adjacent to the upscale El Paseo shopping district in Palm Desert. Initial plans include roof gardens with solar paneling, a spa and 16 luxury suites. The property is slated to break ground this fall.
For golf enthusiasts, La Quinta is home to over 20 golf courses and the famous PGA West. The city is also an arts and culture magnet, offering the La Quinta Arts Festival, live theater by the La Quinta Playhouse and a variety of public art. The historic La Quinta Resort is the largest in the Coachella Valley.
The recently opened 146-room Embassy Suites La Quinta Hotel & Spa is located adjacent to Old Town La Quinta.
